VTDigger is the largest newsroom in Vermont, publishing daily stories on state government, politics, consumer affairs, business and public policy as well as in-depth and investigative journalism.

The newsroom is deeply rooted in the community of Vermont, and its commitment to building two-way relationships with community members directly contributes to the excellence of the newsroom. During the COVID-19 pandemic, VTDigger was regularly praised for the role it played in keeping Vermonters informed and safe.

With support from the American Journalism Project, VTDigger is undertaking a number of long-term sustainability and growth initiatives, including a growth plan to build the infrastructure and capacity to meet local information needs across the state and region.

Leaders

  • A Vermont resident, Barsch comes to VTDigger after an extensive career in local and national media, including roles at the Burlington Free Press, the Barre-Montpelier Times Argus and The Nation magazine. Most recently, she served as Vice President of Sponsorships & Market Strategy for Chalkbeat, one of the largest nonprofit news organizations in the United States. At Chalkbeat, Barsch led the team and strategy for sponsorships and advertising, tripling earned revenues and growing audiences across platforms. Previously, Barsch served as Associate Publisher of Vermont Life. At Vermont Life, she oversaw the digital version of the magazine, as well as social media channels, email newsletters, and digital asset development for Vermont Life’s content and e-commerce websites.  In addition, Barsch was the owner, editor and publisher of Vermont Sports, a magazine dedicated to outdoor sports and recreation in northern New England.
  • Jim Lehnhoff leads VTDigger’s revenue generation and oversees most of the business office. He has more than a decade of digital media revenue and team-building experience. Jim launched his career at Gawker in 2006 and has helped to build some of the web’s most beloved brands including the Onion, Slate and Serious Eats. He was vice president of Slate’s award-winning branded content studio, leading its multiple award-winning projects. Before Slate, Jim returned to Gawker as director of advertising strategy, and before joining VTDigger, he served as director of sales at Luster, a startup technology company serving the events industry.